Yang Min-hyeok made his first start for Portsmouth as they crashed out of the EFL Cup at the hands of Reading.
Yang recently made the switch to the South Coast after being sent out on loan again by Tottenham Hotspur.
Thomas Frank had the chance to assess the youngster during pre-season, but made the decision that he was not ready for first-team action in North London.
Tottenham signed Yang last summer, but the youngster is yet to make his competitive debut for the North London club.
But on Tuesday evening, the teenager made his first start for his new loan club, as he featured in Pompey’s defeat to Reading in the EFL Cup.
Portsmouth fans slam Yang Min-hyeok’s lack of physicality
Portsmouth fans were not happy with Yang Min-hyeok’s first EFL Cup display for the club and slammed his lack of physicality.
The winger completed 90 minutes for Pompey as they were eliminated from the first round of the competition by Reading at home.
Yang, who impressed on loan at QPR last season, failed to complete a single dribble attempt against the Royals and won just four of his 17 duels against the League One opposition.
The young South Korean also lost possession on 17 occasions in what was a rather tricky match for him.
John Mousinho made many changes to his team, so it was a mix-and-match Portsmouth team on display, which certainly didn’t help Yang’s case.
But after their defeat to Reading, Portsmouth fans took to X to share their thoughts on the young winger’s performance.
One fan said: “That was an embarrassing watch, horrendous display from the lads, Yang got absolutely bullied on the left…”
“What’s more concerning is Yang. A total copy and paste of Reeco, but with no physicality to him. Got absolutely bullied tonight,” claimed another.
There was further criticism for the youngster: “Not exaggerating when I say this might be the worst debut I’ve ever seen from a Pompey player in over 30 years from Yang.”
Finally, another fan added: “What did they see in Yang? He’s nowhere near good or strong enough.”
Former Tottenham captain Son Heung-min also had advice for Yang, and it was similar to what Pompey fans criticised him about.
The 19-year-old kept doing too much to impress, and the former Spurs star has urged him to “just focus on what’s in front of him.”
Yang Min-hyeok dreams of replicating Son Heung-min at Tottenham
Following the departure of his fellow countryman, Yang admitted that he dreams of replicating what Son managed to achieve at Tottenham.
The teenager was asked about taking the number seven shirt at some stage, but the winger believes that he must earn the chance first.
Yang told the media: “When I’ve built a great career like brother Heung-min and earned that level of respect, I’ll dream of taking on the honor of wearing the number seven.
“Even though it was a relatively short time, I got close to Heung-min and learned a lot from him. It’s disappointing that it was his last game, he was such a big figure at the club.
“I wish we had more time together, but that was his choice. Even as he left, I felt like I gained so much from him. I started imagining that maybe one day, I’ll have a farewell like that too.”